Liverpool star 'to leave' club next summer as journalist drops transfer bombshell

A key Liverpool star is reportedly set to leave next year according to a report by a top journalist.

Despite a quiet remaining quiet early on, Liverpool were busy at the end of the summer transfer window, securing deals for Georgian keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and Federico Chiesa before the window closed.

Several key players also left the Reds over the summer, with Fabio Carvalho, Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip all departing the club.

And now, a new report has revealed that the club expect that another key player will leave the club next year.

According to The Athletic journalist James Pearce, it is expected that goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher will leave Anfield next summer.

Talking on the Walk On podcast, Pearce said: "He's a Premier League quality goalkeeper, so it baffles me really that there wasn't a bigger kind of battle for his signature.

"I think in the end, for Liverpool, it was a no-brainer. Why would you sell Kelleher for £7million plus a back-up goalkeeper you don't even want? That would have been nonsensical.

"And of course, with Mamardashvili really being lined up for next summer, the expectation now is that this will be Kelleher's last year at the club."

Several clubs were reportedly interested in signing the Irishman this summer, including Nottingham Forest who submitted a rejected bid of £7million plus American keeper Matt Turner.

But with Mamardashvili, who was immediately loaned back to Valencia upon completing his move to Liverpool, set to rejoin at the end of the season, selling Kelleher next summer would make sense.

Caoimhin Kelleher has made 47 appearances for Liverpool. (Image: Getty)

Furthermore, it would appear that the 25-year-old would welcome a move, as he spoke about his current situation while on international duty with the Republic of Ireland.

Speaking in a press conference on Tuesday, Kelleher said: “I made it clear in the last few years that I want to go somewhere and be a number one. The club has made that decision to get a goalkeeper (Mamardashvili) which makes it look like they’ve made a decision to go another direction.

“Liverpool have rejected a few bids as well. It’s not always in my hands to fully make the decision. My ambition is clear. I’m good enough & I want to go and play week in, week out.”